Rebirth of the Sun
by Y.H-Night
Summary: She's always believed that if you keep your face to the sun, you will never see the shadows. But sometimes even the sun isn't bright enough to chase away the darkness. Or Elia's second life teaches her that sometimes shadows aren't all bad if you face them with your friends.
1. Chapter 1

Sometimes it's hard for her to remember a time before her new life. The sunny skies, and gentle waves leeched away at the memories of everything else, until all that remained was a faint feeling of deja vu.

In one life she was someone else, a good daughter with two loving parents in a stable household. She was an older sister, and a friend. Her life had been good, and above all normal.

But that life and that girl was gone. Now she was Eliana of Olympus.

In her new life she grew up on an island. Her days were filled with exploring reefs and sunbathing under a bright sun. She knew all the names of the plants and animals in the forest, which berries and fruit were safe to eat, how to avoid poisonous animals, and the names of the countless stars that would fill the canvas of the night sky.

She embraced the knowledge and threw herself into the new experiences. The few times she ever paused and let herself be caught up in the tide of melancholy that filled her heart the old life would come seeping back, suffocating her and driving the newfound happiness far away. So she learned endlessly, asked questions and explored, forgetting the old life she'd led before.

And if in her search for adventure she ceated goat stampedes, or set off a few explosions, that was no concern but her own.

Besides her new mother always smiled and laughed at her antics.

"That's my Elia," She'd say with gentle amuesment when the villagers complained about her latest adventure into the forest that had ended in a small fire and the destruction of the fountain in town, "My little light, just wants to see and do everything."

Elia loved her mother. That was probably the only thing she held with certainty in this new life, everything else was subject to the questioning that arose from the lingering feeling that there was more to the world. Memories of seeing the fluffy clouds in the sky right outside a small oval window, and watching black roads traversed by thousands of loud humming metal machines convinced her that there was always more to explain, more to learn.

Olympus was a good place to do just that. It was a small island in the New World, a place she learned was the second half of a region of the ocean called the Grand Line. It was sheltered though, surrounded by sea-kings, whirlpools and constant storms that it was near impossible to contact the rest of the world.

Most of her knowledge of the sea around them came from books centuries old, or washed up from the occasional shipwreck.

It was a good place to live. Everyone on the island knew eachother by name, due to generations having grown up unchanged by the lack of visitors to the island. And that tight knit community meant she could roam the forests and coves to her heart's content, observing the unique flora and fauna that lived in harmony with the people.

Today was another day for adventure. Her light and airy dress brushed against her ankles as she flew through the streets of the town. Elia laughed waving her arms in greeting as she passed by her neigbours who looked at her with varying degrees of fond annoyance.

Her sandals smacked lightly upon the white stone of the road, and a breeze swirled through the air cooling the whole town to a nice warm temperature instead of it's typical scorching summer heat.

She stopped breathless, at a litttle bakery off the road. The sign above bore the image of a majestic golden ram. It's fleece weathered with time was peeling off in small golden flecks, a few patches left were the only hint of its old shimmering glory.

"Where are you off to today little Elia?" Della the owner of the Golden Fleece, smiled knowingly as she rung up her purchases for the day.

"I'm going to see the ruins," she beamed in answer bouncing up and down in her excitement. "Mom said that in old days it used to be a huge kingdom blessed by the gods."

Della laughed, shaking silvery threads of hair out of its loosely tied bun. The wrinkles on her face deepened with the wide smile on her lips, "Your mother is a very smart lady. Most of the young'uns these day think the gods are just stories." Della scoffed disdainfully at the very idea.

"You mean the gods are real?" She gasped in awe.

Many people living in Olympus spoke of and worshipped gods through temple visits and holidays, but they were distant figures held more as myths and legends than reality.

"Of course they are!" Della exclaimed slamming a fist down on to the counter, face fixed in a furious scowl, "Olympus used to be the home of the gods, before they left this earth for the heavens above. They lived here in harmony with our ancestors, blessing them with unimaginable wealth and power."

Della looked around cautiously before leaning forward motioning for her to do the same. She was close enough, that Elia could feel the heat of the older woman's breath against her ear.

"Some say that the gods fell in love with humans and that divine blood still runs through some of us today." Della whispered, winking at her conspiratedly as she drew away.

"That sounds like a fairy tale Della."

She remembered a life where logic and science had dictated the rules of the world, so she couldn't help but question the tale. It was ironic, though, considering that her current existence contradicted that very logic and science.

Della laughed, "Cheeky little thing. Just because it sounds like a story, doesn't mean it's not true."

"I don't know. Seems pretty hard to prove."

"Is it though?" Della arched a brow lips twitching in a faint smile, "Hasn't your mother ever told you about your bloodline."

Intrest picqued, she shook her head in denial.

"Your Mother's bloodline is descendant from the Emperors and Empresses of Takamagahara, Who were said to have the blood of Amaterasu Queen of the Old Gods running through their veins."

Her eyes widened. Her mother had never mentioned such a thing before, and frankly from the way they lived now she would never had guessed they'd descended from royalty.

She didn't have a dad here, though she still remembered faint moments of warm hugs and loud laughs from the life before. They helped to fill in the gap left by the father in her new life.

It was harder to remember her mother. The new one in this life was warm and friendly, kind and loving, and shamefullly she found it rare to have to call up the memories of her mother from before. Her current mother worked as a weaver, a taxing job that afforded them a small house on the edge of town. They weren't exactly poor, but she was pretty sure they weren't living comfortably enough to be related to the Gods themselves.

"You better not be pulling my leg Della." She scowled causing the old baker to let out a barking laugh.

"Rararara, what do I know little one. I'm just a crazy old woman."

Della leaned down and ruffled her hair.

"Now don't you have some ruins to explore

She nodded clutching her bag of pastries in her hands. "Thanks Della!" She called out waving in goodbye as she left the store. Following a familiar path she turned down an alley to her left and then made a right knocking upon a small wooden black door along the side of that road. Above her head, lines filled with drying laundry fluttered above her head like playful butteflies in the wind.

The door opened with a slow creak to reveal a pale looking boy. He was dressed very casually and his shirt was well worn obvious by the hole in it at his left shoulder. His eyes were tired and accentuated by dark bags underneath them, but they brightened a little when he caught sight of her prmpting him to quickly open the door all the way. She beamed at her friend.

"Good Morning!" She chirped.

"Morning Elia." Zag replied tiredly with a small smile of his own.

"You ready for another adventure?"

"I guess." Zag stepped outside of the house closing the door softly behind them, "Mother's asleep right now, but I left her a note."

"Alright!" She cheered grabbing her friend's hand, "Let's go!"

The two of them ran through the town not stopping when the houses and roads transitioned into tall towering trees and dirt.

Occasionaly she glanced behind at Zag who always gave her a small smile in response. By now he knew better than to ask where the two of them were going.

As a child she found her desire for adventure and strange habits had an unfortunate tendency of driving other children away. She often found herself in dangerous and bizarre situations like the time that she'd managed to anger every chicken on the island causing them to follow her through the village streets in an angry stampede of loud clucks and white feathers. The other children were scared of her rambuctious and quirky behaviour and usually left her alone.

Everyone that is, except for Zag.

Zag's family was disriminated upon due to his fathers and his own potential Auxil.

Many years ago Zag's father had used his Auxil to terrorize the island. He had been corrupted by his Auxil's power that he had tried to seize a title as the island king slaughtering those in his path before he had been subdued. It was the darkest tragedy in the recent history of Olympus.

But it didn't matter that Zag's father had died many years ago the villagers still feared what Zag could become, and looked at him as if he was the Devil himself..

That had never really made sense to Elia, who could only see the sweet shy boy that wanted the best for everyone.

Finally arriving at their destination she let herself catch her breath an take in the view. The ruins of the old kingdom of Takamagahara sat upon the top of a cliff. It was on the east side of the island while the village of Olympus sat to the west closer to the only cove on the island. In comparison to the small houses of the village, Takamagahara was grand.

It was laid out like the cities from her memory with incredibly wide stone roads and neatly ordered rows of buildings.

"It's amazing." She whispered in awe bouding forward to the very first archway, hands tracing over the faded carvings of a dragon etched into the stone.

Behind her Zag stared upon it in awe, "It's so big." He said breathlessly moving to stand beside her.

"I know right!" Elia continued forward gaping at the huge multistoried buildings. Their white walls that once must have made the city shine, were cracked and overgrown with vines, but were still no less imposing.

"Come on lets go check out the castle. Last one there is a rotten egg!" She whooped taking off running.

"What!? Elia wait up!"

The two raced through the ruins, speed and agility far beyond the average human let them clear fallen obstacles in a single jump.

She used her hands to vault over a particularly large chunk of the castle's broken wall. Planting on the other side she raised her hands in victory "I win!"

Zag landed besides her in a crouch. "You cheated." He said plainly, shooting her an annoyed look.

"Sorry." Elia singsonged with no remorse, walking forwards into the castle.

The inside of the castle was huge. Shattered chunks of stone littered across the floor, and most of the walls were cracked and filled with holes, but the intricate veins of gold that ran throught the white stone of the high arching ceilings were unlike anything she'd ever seen in this life.

Passing by a column she trailed her fingers over the carving of the large mythic creatures engraved around it's base. She was particularly enamored, by the image of a large Fox that towered protectively over a human warrior. Unlike a typical fox this creature sported multiple tails that furled out behind it elegantly in the cold stone.

"Elia come look at this."

She made her way over towards the section of the wall that Zag had found himself by. The wall here was different, the marble transitioning from white to a dark midnight blue that almost looked black from a certain angle.

Upon the darker stone sat curving symbols that were similar to pictographs. Her eyes narrowed, startling slightly when the symbols shifted until they began to form more recognizable words.

"What language is that?" She asked Zag who was squinting at the stone.

"I don't know."

His lips moved silently reading the words aloud under his breath. Elia turned back to the stone straining her own eyes to read.

"It's a story."

She turned towards Zag bewildered by his observation.

"About what?"

"About some Empress of this kingdom 800 years ago. Empress Suiko, daughter of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, united the warring kingdoms of the gods, ayakashi, and humans on this island to create the kingdom of Takamagahara using the power of an ancient weapon." Zag read

The letters swam even more until Elia was able to read the same story Zag had just reccounted.

"What weapon?" She asked as the words started to clear into more understandable sentences.

"All it says is that it was called Solaris and that Suiko hid the weapon after the war," Zag pointed to a section of squiggly writing.

She followed his finger to the line and read it for herself.

"It says she hid it in the realm of the gods." Elia read out loud.

Zag hummed before freezing eyes widening in a delighted sort of surprise.

"Elia, look here!" her friend reached up to touch his hand to the stone, "It says the gods rewarded her for her achievements and gave her gifts of unimaginable power, blessing the people that lived in her land. Do you think that's where Auxils came from?"

_Just like Della's story _Elia observed biting her lip at the uncanny resemblance. And according to Della's tale Elia was Empress Suiko's descendant.

"I wish that we could read all of this some of it stilll looks like gibberish, Hey Elia, you okay?" Zag's concern snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Just fine Zaggy!" She chirped, "C'mon let's keep exploring."

**-o-**

"Do you ever wonder what's out there?" She kicked her legs back in forth staring out across the sea, stained orange and red by the setting sun.

Besides her Zag was eating the honey bun she'd bought from The Golden Fleece. The two of them had managed to climb to the secondfloor of the ruined castle, the walls of which had long since crumbled, leaving behind a view that overlooked the entire cliffside.

"I guess." He shrugged, "Never really thought about it."

"Really? But don't you want to explore? See what's beyond just this tiny little island."

"Well… It might be nice to get to the leave the village." The sad look on Zag's face broke her heart.

She loved the village, the people there had been kind to her, had given her home, but she couldn't forgive them for how they treated her best friend. No child ever deserved to be shunned for forces outside their control.

She jumped to her feet, "Then we'll do it."

She grinned at the bewildered look on Zag's face.

"We'll leave this island when were older. See everything on this sea! I've always wanted to know if the stories I'd read were true." Elia announced proudly, anticipation making her smile grow wider.

"B-but how would- the village would never let us leave!"

She puffed out her cheeks indignantly, "Of course they won't, but that doesn't matter I'll just make them."

"Pfff-hahaha!"

Much to her shock Zag dissolved into laughter. Clutching at his side he continued to laugh the smile brightening his usually gloomy face.

"Mou, Zag! I'm being serious. They're not the boss of me!"

Zag wiped away at the tear coming out of the corner of his eye, "Of course Princess." He teased causing her to scowl. "And what happens if they ignore your orders."

"Than you'll save me! Right _hero?"_ She said back with the same teasing tone.

"Yeah, I would." The seriousness in the statement startled her, and she glanced back at her friend's face. Zag's eyes were filled with an unreadable emotion, and he looked at her with a strangely content smile, like there was no where else he'd rather be than by her side.

She felt her cheeks grow warm, and her eyes started to burn as the genuine feeling of gratiude she had towards her friend grew even stronger. Sitting back down she wrapped her arms around him.

"Elia?"

She ignored the question in his voice sniffling into his shoulder, "You're the best friend ever." Her voice wavered as she tightened their hug. Zag's arms lifted up slowly to hug back.

"So are you." He whispered back.

"I don't care what anyone in the village says. Zagreus Angelis is the bestest coolest, person ever and nothing could ever change that."

She declared stubbornly sniffling back at tears. Part of her that had reached an age that tears were rare was embarrassed by the emotional breakdown, but the six year old she was now justt cried even harder.

Zag tightened the hug further burying his head into her shoulder. The two of them sat their long after the sun had set. Lost in their own world, filled with dreams of adventure and the sight of the open ocean that'd they'd face together.

* * *

**Hi Everyone! **

**Here I am again with another One Piece story. This year has been kind of hectic with college applications, but now that I'm in the second half of senior year I have a bit more time to devote to writing. This story has been bouncing around my head for a couple years and I was really inspired to write this after reading Marshmellowtime's Memoirs of a Suicidal Pirate. Honestly I love all of Marshmellowtime's works, and I was so excited when she wrote an OC story for One Piece. Which, let me tell you, is amazing so if you haven't read it check it out. **

**Anyways I hope you enjoy my new story. **

**-Y.H Night**


	2. Chapter 2

The people of Olympus were usually kind, hard working people, but their way of life was startling different than any Elia had seen before.

That was most likely due to the possession of Auxils.

Auxils were unique to Olympus. Giving those who resided in the land enhanced strength, speed, and endurance as well as an individual power in relation to a Patron God. Most never awoke their individualized Auxil, but those who did were known as the Awakened and were revered and elevated in status.

The island's way of life took those Auxils in mind.

The people on the Island were split into large collections of extended families, who often shared similar individualized Auxils. Of each family there was a clan head who represented them as a member of the ruling council. And for each family there was a patron god.

The ruling council, ensured that views that the families wished to voice were all shared. Within a specific family a patron god usually embodied certain traits that the family held in high esteem.

For example, the Demetriou family, whose patron god was Demeter, were meant to respect all life, and were generally farmers who were known for their kindness to all. Or Zag's family the Angelis who valued Order, were the upholders of the law.

Of course outliers like Della who was a member of the Phoebus Family, a family typically expected to enter a medical profession, had decided to open a bakery, but most members of a family adhered to their Patron's virtues.

Elia wasn't any of those. Her mother said that they had once belonged to a large family, filled with cousins, aunts, and uncles, but time had taken that away until only Elia and her mother were left.

When a family fell into a decline they became one of the faithless. They lost claim to a patron god, and were typically absorbed into another family. The faithless were mostly viewed as lesser, and while no one on Olympus was outright cruel there was an unspoken distinction in class that separated the two.

When Elia had been younger most children avoided her. In part it was due to her overly curious and blunt nature, but her status as a faithless definitely played a role.

She'd never actively sought out company, but it did still sting the part of her that was still a 6 year old girl when others would ignore her outright.

Of course that all changed. It had been a few years back and she and her mother were sitting on a hill overlooking the field where many kids would play. Weaving daisy's in a chain she watched the other children play a game of soccer with a perfectly spherical rock. Despite the weight and density that would have broken a normals child foot on contact, the Auxil enhanced bodies of Olympus children made it no different than a regular soccer game.

As she hummed a song under her breath a pale looking boy and a beautiful look woman, who must have been his mother, approached the group playing soccer. Elia had seen the boy in town a few times, and she'd heard the whispers and rumors that followed him and his mother as they went to the marketplace.

They belonged to the disgraced Angelis family. Maria Angelis and Zagreus Angelis the respective wife and son of the infamous Ixion Angelis the former head of the Angelis family.

She'd heard the tale from Della. How Ixion Angelis had once been a stunning young man, known for embodying his family virtue of order as the chief of police. He had a lovely wife, who had once been regarded as the most beautiful woman on the island, and he was greatly respected by the people.

Then one day he awakened his individual Auxil battling a pirate crew that had somehow managed to land on the island. His Auxil granted him the ability to manipulate shadows which he used to defeat the invading pirate crew. He was hailed as a hero, but something changed within him that day. Della claimed that it was the shadows that drove him to madness, but regardless of the reasons, after that day Ixion became obsessed with order. He chased after minor criminals dealing out harsh sentences to pickpockets, swindlers and eventually against normal citizens who he believed had the potential to disrupt the order of Olympus.

Not long after this he demanded to be made King of the Island, claiming that in order to maintain peace, harsher laws and a firm ruling hand were required. When his request was denied, and he was stripped of his title as clan head as punishment, Ixion turned upon the people of Olympus. Attacking the village and the council, killing many before he was struck down by another Awakened.

His actions disgraced the Angelis family who in turn cast out his pregnant wife in an effort to save face. Alone and abandoned the woman had given birth to Ixion's son the very boy that stood on the edge of the playgrounds.

The little boy looked nervous glued tightly to his mother's side, as he stared out at the soccer game with a childish wonder that made Elia giggle.

"What's so funny little light?" Her mother asked.

"Oh nothing mother, I was just watching the kids play."

Her mother's soft smile turned sad, "Don't you wish to play with them little light?"

Elia shook her head, "Of course not. I'd much rather spend more time with you!"

Blonde hair similar to Elia's own tossed back delicately in the wind as her mother laughed brightly. Elia found herself watching intently awed once again by her mother's beauty. In her old life Elia had remembered a plain looking girl, with dark brown hair, a nose just a tad too large, and small watery eyes.

Gifted with the looks of her mother in this life, Elia made for a very cute child. With her blond hair that curled in soft waves bright blue eyes, and delicate features. She knew that in this life she would be considered beautiful when she'd grown up, but her mother was already full grown and completely gorgeous.

Elia turned back to her task humming a little tune as she weaved in another Daisy. A loud shriek caught her attention. Below the ball game with the children had stopped, A boy had fallen on his butt and began to cry.

Immediately his mother rushed forward checking her son's well being before turning to the Angelis boy who stood frozen in the middle of the game field. Elia narrowed her eyes dropping the daisy chain as she stood up.

"Is something wrong?" Mira asked her as she started to walk down the hill.

"Oh it's nothing mother, I'll be right back." She answered with a small smile.

She made her way down the hill her eyes focused on the scene unfolding out below. Apparently the Angelis boy had somehow managed to harm the other boy in the soccer game, and now he cowered as the boy's mother began to yell at him. Other parents began to follow suit gathering their own children behind them as the pale little boy trembled under their anger.

Elia made it to the edge of the field. Without stopping she made her way toward the center, grabbing onto the Angelis boy just as the yelling mother had raised her hand in anger.

"What!?" The woman called out in surprise as Elia clutched onto the boy's arm.

"Hi there! I'm Eliana."

The boy startled, "...Za...Zagreus." He stuttered back taken aback by her wide smile.

"Wow that's a long name. Is it okay if I call you Zag? You could call me Elia." She offered.

He nodded in reply, eyes still wide with shock, a look that reminded her of a startled deer. His big eyes even had that shimmering quality present in those woodland creatures, He looked adorable and she resisted the urge to wrap him in a hug and start cooing.

"Eliana!" The woman who'd been scolding Zag said sharply. "Do you know who this child is, you shouldn't be talking with him."

"Why not?" She screwed her face into a frown, "I think he's cute!"

She ignored the woman's spluttering turning back towards a slightly red looking Zag. "Hey Zag! Do you want to see something awesome."

Not waiting for an answer she dragged the boy up the hill back towards her mother who looked at the both of them with a small amused smile.

"Oh Elia, who's your new friend?"

"This is Zag!" She said proudly pulling the boy closer ignoring his startled yelp. "Zag this is my mother. She's the best!" Elia announced proudly.

She let go of Zag's hand to pick up her finished daisy chain. With a wide grin she placed the completed circle on top of the boy's head who instantly looked up in a vain attempt to catch sight of the object.

The cross eyed look he wore made her giggle and she couldn't help but squeal inwardly at the cute reaction.

"Do you like it?" she asked watching Zag reach up to touch one of the daisy flowers.

"It's pretty." Zag answered quietly, wonder shining in his eyes as he looked up at the flowers. When he caught Elia staring at him he flinched back drawing his arms closer to him and shying away like she would reach out and hit him.

Her heart hurt at the very idea of hurting the child before her.

"You can have it, but only if you become my friend." She announced crossing her arms before her stubbornly.

Zag blinked at her, long lashes fluttering over chocolate brown eyes. Slowly his mouth curled up in a toothy smile, eyes oddly shiny.

"Okay!"

**-o-**

By far the most important building in Olympus was the temple. While each family possessed a small shrine to their patron god in their compound. The temple was an offering to the whole pantheon. During the holidays the temple was filled to the brim with villagers.

It was an important place in the heart of the people, especially the Faithless who had no family shrine to worship. It was common for Elia and her mother to visit the temple, where she could marvel at the beautiful mosaics that decorated the walls.

The temple itself was a circular building with a large dome covering the top of it. In the center of the dome was a small hole where the stones arranged into a perfect circle that required no cement to hold the structure together. The mosaics on the wall depicted a certain god, and served as a background for the statue of the deity placed before it.

They often depicted images of the gods accomplishing astonishing feats, and she had listened in avid interest when her mother recounted the legends that went along with each picture.

As a faithless, Elia was not bound to a singular God. While Zag and his mother were technically faithless as well they always approached the onyx black statue of Hades first. She and her mother on the other hand were free to choose which god they would pray to that day.

In her old life Elia faintly remembered technology and science that had replaced the need for an all powerful deity. But some part of her in that old world had held some belief in a greater power. In her mind, life and all that surrounded it was just too beautiful to be explained with just numbers and statistics.

She embraced the idea of the Gods and the stories that came along with them. Her favorite Goddess, and the one she often greeted first, was Athena.

In the temple, Athena had a beautiful statue made of white marble that depicted her in full battle armor. Holding a spear in one hand and a shield in the other, the goddess made for a regal and intimidating figure

Behind the statue, the mosaic of Athena showed the Goddess in the sky arms spread wide to shine down a ray of sunlight that led a sailor on a raft across a stormy and turbulent ocean.

Her mother had said that the image was from the tale of Odysseus, a wise warrior and King of Ithaca, who was beloved by the grey eyed goddess of wisdom. Due to earning ire from the God of the sea, Odysseus had been forced to travel the oceans, kept from home for a long and arduous 20 years.

Athena had guided her champion home, ensuring that the man would return safely to where he could defeat the suitors who planned to marry his wife and seize his throne.

The story had turned a bit gruesome when Odysseus then killed all but one of the 50 suitors and she was not particularly keen on the fact that the man had slept with almost every other woman he came upon while away from his wife who remained faithful to a long gone husband, but she liked the story all the same. Even the unsavory details had added to the story's appeal, showing that even the gods and heroes were not immune to human fallacies.

In all honesty on Elia's first visit to the temple she had been very taken with the mosaic and Athena's statue that without knowing much about the goddess she still declared her as her favorite. Even after learning of Athena's anger and often toxic pride, she still admired the goddess's adamant will and ability to stand as a powerful and respected figure against the more masculine gods like Apollo.

She had never really liked the god Apollo, his myths and legends spoke of excessive flashiness and arrogance. Even his statue sported a charming grin which was probably meant to allude to his handsome looks, but honestly it only made her recoil. His attitude combined with his exceptionally poor treatment of women made it easy to label him as one of her least favorite gods.

Unlike Apollo the image of Athena gave off a feeling of power and strength. The woman looked like a warrior, but was still beautiful even cast into the cold marble stone, and it was bonus that she was capable of spitting on the patriarchy that dominated the Pantheon of Olympus.

She had once explained to her mother, why Apollo was her least favorite God only to make the older woman laugh.

Zag had accepted her choice with a shake of his head and sighed, "Only you princess." Which of course had caused her to pout and cling to his arm for five minutes asking him to explain what he meant.

"Mother, who was our family's God?" She asked on the first day of the New year, which meant the whole village would be visiting the temple.

Her mother hummed reflectively, "Well, our family is actually very old so our patron god isn't in the temple."

"Really?" Elia asked. There were almost 50 Gods within the Temple, it hadn't occurred to her that there would be more.

"Yes," Her mother answered. The elegant braids, her mother had made earlier, held her long Golden hair in place as they swung with each step. Her white chiffon dress flowed around her occasionally lifting up in clouds of fabric when the wind picked up. Elia sported a similar set of braids, but unlike Mira who exuded beauty and grace in her New Years outfit, Elia was certain in her small white dress she only passed as cute.

"Our family used to worship Amaterasu, an Old Goddess from the day of Tamakagahara."

Elia startled at that name recalling the strange black rock she had discovered with Zag, and Della's story about Olympians descending from the gods. "You mean the goddess that was Empress Suiko's mother?"

"The very same." Her mother's smile was warm, her eyes filled with unwavering love that had Elia grinning right back. She slipped her hand into the older woman's and beamed as her mother tightened her hand around Elia's smaller one.

"Our family were meant to be protectors." Her mother continued to explain as Elia began to take awkward steps to avoid the cracks in the road. She hummed in acknowledgment her concentration focused on getting around a particularly tricky web of gaps.

Above her she heard her mother let out an amused huff letting her arm drag along with Elia's erratic movements.

"Amaterasu was ruler of the Heavens and the Sun. Legend said she used to watch over and protect the heavenly and earthly realm." Her mother's looked forward at the temple, wistfulness and longing in her eyes. "That duty was passed down to her descendants. Our role was to guide and protect this world."

The Temple came closer and closer as more and more villagers joined them on the street.

"Why are we the only ones left?" Elia asked finished with her little challenge.

"Time." the older woman answered sadly. "Eventually the old gods were forgotten and when Takamagahara fell, the family just seemed to assimilate with Olympus until all of us were gone."

They made their way up the marble stairs.

"Not all of us." Elia stated confidently

"Not all of us." Her mother agreed with a small smile.

The inside of the temple was filled with soft fire light which flickered constantly changing the lengths of shadows in an eerie dance.

They made their way across the various images of the gods bowing in respect and leaving a small offering that they had prepared beforehand. She stayed before the familiarly daunting statue of Athena for a second longer staring up at the stone features somewhat menacing in the dim light. Caught up in the sculpture's lifeless eyes she didn't even notice when her mother continued to move on without her.

The world seemed to blur around the statue as the fire in the center of the room grew brighter. Elia watched in horror as the statue of Athena began to crumble. Cracks split across the goddesses forehead until the golden headpiece that sat upon her hair fell off and hit the floor in a loud clatter. Her breaths became frantic as a loud boom of a cannon echoed nearby, the glow from the explosion that followed shined light upon the goddess's damaged form. Her ears rang with the sounds of screams and destruction, but even as panic gripped at her heart she couldn't turn away her attention completely stuck to those lifeless eyes which seemed to sink further and further into the stone until all that was left were two sunken holes.

"-ia, Elia!"

An urgent whisper drew her attention away from the statue. Blinking for a moment the world came back into focus. The sounds of cannons faded and the light dimmed once more.

She took in the worried look on Zag's face. "Hi hero." She smiled immediately reaching forward to link her arm with his. She began to walk forward dragging the other boy with her towards the statue of Apollo.

She nodded her head in a bow and besides her a bewildered looking Zag did the same. Apollo the patron god of the Phoebus family was a popular god of Olympus, but personally Elia had never seen the appeal. The man looked too delicate and pretty that she had the impression that he was a flighty and childish god.

The pair continued to walk and she found it harder and harder to ignore the suspicious glances Zag continued to send her, "Are you alright Elia?"

"Hmm, I'm okay. How are you?" she asked eyes darting to the other end of the room. She was desperate for a distraction and she found one in the form of a family dressed in heavy black robes slowly making their rounds in the temple.

Zag followed her stare lips curving into a scowl. It was a morally questionable tactic to use and Elia instantly felt guilty when she caught sight of her friends darkened face as she used his old family as a distraction from her friend's questions.

"I'm fine," He answered sharply.

Elia felt him tense beside her.

"You know they look kind of dumb with those cloaks on indoors." She observed craning her neck to get a better look, "I mean I understand tradition, but don't they get uncomfortable under all those layers?

"They're ceremonial robes of the Angelis family, and there is a big hole in the middle of the temple."

"It is also the middle of summer." She pointed out, "Why couldn't they make ceremonial sandals or t-shirts."

Zag raised an eyebrow a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips, "ceremonial t-shirts?"

"Ceremonial t-shirts." She affirmed with a nod.

Her friend turned away from her, but by the shaking of his shoulders she knew he was desperately trying to hold back laughter. A warm feeling of success and fondness had her elbowing the other boy until the two of them got into a friendly shoving match that ended in a fit of giggles.

A few elders from other families shot them disapproving looks, but Elia ignored them with the full maturity of her combined years from this life and the one before. She couldn't care less about how she appeared to others, all that mattered to her was that her friend kept on smiling.

Eventually the two of them made it out of the temple and Elia caught her mother's attention with an exaggerated wave. The older women smiled, face lit up like the sun. Once again she was taken aback by her own mother's beauty. Truly no other woman could compare, and she could only hope that she would grow up to be half as amazing.

She turned to wrap Zag in a hug, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

He nodded in reply.

Before she could turn to leave Zag grabbed onto the sleeve of her dress.

She waited patiently as the other boy seemed to struggle, "Thank you." Even in the dark she could tell that his cheeks were flushed in embarrassment.

"No need," she patted the hand that held onto her sleeve comfortingly, "a princess can't let a hero do all the saving."

With one last wave she ran off to grab her mother's hand. Looking over her shoulder as she left she watched as her friend approached his own mother with a gentle smile and said something that made the other woman laugh.

She ignored the feeling of apprehension that sat in the pit of her stomach like an anchor. She glanced one more time at the statue of Athena watching as shadows from the torches danced on the stone, before turning back towards the road that stretched before them.

**-o-**

"Mother what are we doing?"

The older woman smiled pulling Elia onto her lap. Encircled by warmth Elia felt herself relaxing into her mother's embrace as the two of them stared out across the sea. Without a family of their own, mother and daughter lived far away from the main town of Olympus.

On the very end of a worn down and weed covered dirt road, their house rested amidst fields of wild grass. The small size and the chipped faded yellow paint on the sides of the small wooden house was made up for by the view that rested behind it.

Growing up had been somewhat difficult in the very beginning. Her mind wrestled with the images, replacing the small wood walled room she shared with her mother, for a teal blue one filled to the brim with bits and baubles of sentimental value. When her mother went into town on her own she would sometimes close her eyes and hear the joyful laughter of a younger boy only to open them and be all alone.

But the ocean outside the windows had been her comfort. The endless blue waves that lightened in the day and faded into a inky dark black when the sun set had been filled with wonder. That horizon where the sky met the sea, had been a promise to herself that there was more to this life than painful longing. It meant new things, adventure and discovery that would one day fill the ache in her heart.

Her mother had caught onto her fondness for the scene outside the back door, and soon it became a tradition for the two of them to walk to the very edges of the cliffs above the water and sit on the wild grass of the fields to watch the sun sink beneath the waves.

"I know you want to leave this island my little light."

Elia's breath caught in her chest at her mother's words, and she turned away from the sea.

"Mother I-"

"It's okay Eliana." Her mother smiled softly, beautiful face tinged with sadness and her blue eyes looked glassy from unshed tears. She couldn't fight down the feeling of guilt that made her want to promise the older woman that she'd never leave, but she knew that it was a promise she couldn't keep.

"You know your father was the same way." Her mother turned to look back at the ocean. "He could never just stay in one place, he had to travel and see all the things in this world."

Mira stroked a hand through Elia's hair gently. The warmth of it let the tension drain out of her as she pushed herself further into her mother's embrace.

"I don't want to leave you."

She whispered curling in on herself as her mother continued to play with her hair.

"Oh I know, my little light. I understand." She rested her chin on the top of Elia's head, and the arms encircling her tightened.

"But you can't stay here. This place will only stifle you Elia. You need more than this little island could ever offer."

Elia felt warm. The love and understanding from the older woman was something she'd never experienced in all her life. It only affirmed her conclusion on her mother's character, and strengthened her gratitude towards the woman.

"I'll miss you little one, but I know you'll be happier on the sea."

The two curled into each other staring across the ocean and at the star filled night sky. Atop the cliff that the waves beat against relentlessly, Elia watched the midnight blue waters wondering what could exist beyond them.

* * *

**Here we go chapter 2! Expect updates to slow down after this as I am still in school and incapable of not caring about my grades. **

**Next chapter will have a timeskip to Elia's first interactions with the strawhats and will continue from there with occasional flashbacks to her childhood. **

**Thank you for reading and please favorite and review!**

**-Y.H Night**


	3. Chapter 3

**God this past week has been so surreal. The outbreak of COVID-19 is terrible and I'm still processing the month off of school that it has given me. The senior in me is upset that graduation might be cancelled, and all of this free time is driving me a little crazy. On the upside though I have more time to write.**

**This story will still be somewhat slow to update as I'm starting to work on some ideas that have been on the back burner for a while, but hopefully I'll be at least able to update once every two weeks.**

**Well anyways I hope you enjoy the third chapter of Rebirth of the Sun, and make sure you're all staying safe!**

* * *

Elia woke to the cry of seagulls and the soft smacks of the waves against the wooden sides of the boat. The sound echoed in her ears as she watched the white birds circle in lazy figure eights above her head.

She yawned, stretching until something in her back cracked satisfyingly. Squinting her eyes against the sun she looked across the expansive blue ocean. Across the waves in the distance was a tiny island, that looked like a brown blip on the horizon.

She nudged Yoshi who slept at her feet as she adjusted her sail and the rest of the ship towards the island. The small lion dog creature yawned its small tongue flicking over the sharp fang like teeth in its mouth.

Elia smiled at his stumbling attempts to get up, as the gentle rocking of the ship and his drowsiness knocked him repeatedly off balance.

"Come on Yoshi-kun," she reachout out and guided the creature on to the small bench to the front of her ship, "can't sleep the whole day."

Yoshi yipped in response, licking the hand that she'd left nearest to him causing her to let out a breathy laugh. Their small little boat cut through the water until they got close enough for her to toss a rope onto the island's dock.

Yoshi let out a happy bark as he immediately jumped from the boat to the land, and darted around the space as she finished securing their boat. Around her other ships had docked on the island as well some of which were clearly pirate ships evident by the jolly rogers that danced in the wind.

An interesting little caravel caught her attention with the cute design of a sheep's head as a figurehead. It was an adorable little creature and she couldn't help but wave at it as Yoshi and her walked by.

The island was home to a merchant town that prided themselves on obtaining exotic and rare wares. But it's difficult past made it a popular place for bounty hunters and some naive pirates who delighted in the little treasures they could find on the island.

It had been that underworld presence on the island that had allowed her to frequent it in order to stock up on supplies and gain more information on nearby bounties and any odd jobs in the area.

The town as usual was filled to the brim with activity. Brightly colored signs and stalls complete with an equally colorful merchant behind it created an atmosphere of vivacious energy as they called out to potential customers.

"Get your sausages here! Best sausages of all the blues! Imported straight from the South Blue!"

"Selkie skin, Selkie skin! You'll never find a higher quality Selkie skin!"

"Interested in swords or knives. We have the best right here collected from the finest smiths to live on the seas!"

At her feet Yoshi let out an excited yelp as a stream of colorful bubbles floated by. The little lion dog wagged his tail before pouncing on a blue bubble that popped in a splash of purple color. The smaller animal blinked and shook its mane in confusion.

Elia giggled as Yoshi growled and began to chase after the bubbles. She turned down an alley to her left and pushed open the doors that led to a small bar.

"Ah Ms. Kin, I see you're back!"

"Well I couldn't just abandon my favorite bartender, could I." She joked taking a seat at the bar.

Instantly a glass was placed before her filled with a dark red drink. She picked it up bringing it close enough to smell startled by the familiar sweet scent of grapes with a tiny hint of honey.

"I can't believe you found some of this." Elia marveled at the glass, "Ever since the fall of Olympus I swore that their stores of Nectar wine disappeared with it."

The old man behind the bar smiled, his bald head reflecting a passing ray of sun that shown through the window as his long grey goatee jumped with hearty laughter. "Only to those who don't know where to look."

She took another sip of wine. It was nostalgic sitting in Tiresias's bar with the old scents of olive oil and wine as a cool ocean breeze drifted in from a tiny window. Closing her eyes Elia could almost see Olympus sprawling before her the people going about their day talking and shopping in the market. Her mother's golden hair swinging in the wind and the small shy smile Zag would give as she broke apart a loaf of bread to share with him.

As quick as the memory came it left, leaving behind an emptiness in the pit of her stomach.

It had been 9 years since she'd last seen the sandy shores of Olympus. It's mountains and jungle's that sheltered the ruins and their village, tasted the food or heard the bustle of the market. As time passed the hurt lessened, but she would miss the island for as long as she lived.

"Thank you for this old man." She sighed pushing the empty glass back to the bartender.

"Don't even think about it child, I felt a duty to share what little bit of home we have left." The old man smiled kindly reaching out a wrinkled hand for her to take. "Besides, I think my family would never let me hear the end of it if I let the island's precious Nectar leave Olympian veins. When I left to explore, my mother forced that recipe on me and told me she didn't care if I was disgraced. She'd never forgive me if I started to like rum and other pirate swill over our island's wine. Don't tell her, but for the first few years rum was all I drank."

She laughed as the older man winked in jest. Tiresias was one of the few Olympians she had met on the Grand Line, it seemed that every generation a few travelers would set out from the island, "bitten by an adventure bug" Tiresias would say. It was sad to think that those few were probably the last of the Olympians left in this world.

"Well it's good to know that there is still one Maenad in the world making Nectar, Della always used to say that if the family patronized by the God of wine became sober the whole world would probably burst aflame."

Tiresias gave a throaty belly shaking laugh, "Ah no worries of that lass, the day I give up drinking is the day the seas turn into sand."

He reached for something behind the bar and pulled out a folder speckled with suspicious looking dark red spots and threw it before her.

Flipping open the first page Elia was greeted to the sight of bounty poster after bounty poster. She shifted through the paper taking in the sight of the sea's newest rookies and paused at the sight of an unexpected bounty.

"Huh, 30,000,000 for an East Blue pirate. How impressive." She mused while pulling out the image of a straw hat wearing pirate with a blindingly bright smile.

"Straw Hat Luffy," Tiresais acknowledged as he absentmindedly cleaned cups. "Heard he earned that number by clearing through most of the big names in the East Blue. There are also some rumors in the higher ranks that he's got some relation to some bigwig in the marines."

Elia hummed in interest, her attention still fixed on the image of the smiling pirate. The longer she stared, the more the feeling that there was something important behind that wide grin. A familiar tingling sensation over her skin filled her with a little melancholy, but also made her grin.

"Thanks for everything Old Man," She stood up with a smile leaving behind a larger than usual stack of Berries. Turning around to leave she made it to the door before Tiresias called out to her.

"I'm guessing you've found what you've been waiting for."

She looked back over her shoulder to a resigned looking Old man. His hands had paused and he looked at her with obvious nostalgia and old memories swimming in his clouded eyes.

"You have your secrets Ms. Kin, but maybe you can at least give an old man a name to look out for in the papers. It's been too long since us Olympians have had something to be happy about in the news." He grinned toothily at her.

The air in the bar grew heavier like a whole new world had formed in that second.

"Eliana," She said after a small pause, "Eliana of Olympus."

Tiresias's smile widened, "Daughter of the sun, huh. It suits you." He put a glass down with a loud thunk, "I'll be sure to watch for Eliana of Olympus in the posters."

The sound of his happy laughter followed her out of the bar, and for the first time in a long time Elia was filled with excitement for a new adventure.

**-o-**

Her second sight was unreliable at best and sometimes it was more of a feeling than any concrete vision. The bounty poster in her hand right now didn't cause her vision to blur or the familiar headache that often preceded the flashes of the future, but it did make her skin crawl in anticipation. It told her to stay on the island and so she did, following Yoshi as he explored, taking her time to stock up on supplies for a journey.

The buzz under her skin became a crescendo and the voices began

_Kin-san!_

_Ah ah ah be a good topiary and stay put_

_If every adventure ends with us finding this much money then-_

_Isn't the dessert beautiful at night._

_Your more than that, you always have been._

_I'll let you in on a secret your furry big heart is just as amazing as you are_

_I bet I could beat you in a dance off_

_Do you ever wonder what it's like to be a fish in the sea_

_Wait…. For…. don't go!_

_Never again. _

_Join my crew!_

The voices stopped right before she was nearly run over by a reindeer being ridden by a screaming boy with a long nose. Elia barely even blinked. Standing up from the dive she'd been forced to make in order to avoid the two, she dusted off her brown leather jacket.

"Come on Yoshi it's time to go."

The little lion dog yelped in excitement joining her at her side in an instant.

Tracking the duo through the chaos they left behind was relatively easy and she arrived just in time to see them along with a blue haired girl cornered by a familiar looking group.

"Heh-heh, look what we've got here boys, looks like we found the rest of Straw hat's crew." The leader of the thugs sneered his eyes looking leeringly over the girl. The obvious lust and desire made the girl flinch shrinking back towards the long nosed boy.

"They've got a looker to, we might be able to get a good amount of money if not a lot of fun out of her."

He laughed wheezingly revealing a set of yellowing teeth that completed the menacing image created by his gaunt face and crooked fingers. His hulking slightly hunched form was shaking with his laughter.

"Y-you better stay away from Vivi! Otherwise my 10,000 subordinates will make mince meat out of you!" The boy blustered raising his slingshot to point it shakily at the other man.

The thugs stared at the weapon for a minute before the group broke down in raucous laughter.

"What do you think you're going to do with something like that boy? Don't you know who you're dealing with?"

Elia chose that moment to intervene.

"Hello Halberd."

The larger man startled, visibly tensing at the sound of her voice. Everyone else in the alley turned towards her. She lifted a hand in a small genial wave.

"Kin-san! I didn't expect to see you back on the island for a while." The man looked nervous, his smile fading into a sheepish look. It was amusing to see his intimidating figure squirm like he had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar when his mother returned home.

"Well the hunt took less time than I thought it would," she grinned, "It seems the quality of scoundrels these days has really fallen."

"W-well of course, I don't think many pirates stand a chance against you Kin-san!" Halberd returned her smile with a slightly more wobbly version. His yellow teeth reappearing.

She hummed in agreement and let her eyes wander slowly towards the cornered trio. Making a big show of acting surprise, she delighted in the suddenly sour look on Halberd's face. "Who do you have here Halberd?" She asked curiously, taking a step forward. "I don't think I've seen them on any posters."

Instantly the sniper turned the slingshot towards her, and though he was visibly shaking a desperate sort of resolve had settled in his eyes. The girl behind him had tensed up even further, a scared look shuttered behind a glaring mask as Elia approached.

"Ah, they're not really anyone important Kin-san. Just a couple of rude tourists that said some unsavory things to us."

She spared Halberd a brief glance before ignoring him continuing until she was close enough to the odd group that she could reach out and take the sniper's weapon if she wanted. Beside her Yoshi let out a small growl at the small reindeer like creature by the legs of the long nosed boy. The poor thing let out a surprisingly human sounding yelp before ducking to hide.

After a few moments of staring them down, a grin still on her face she turned back towards Halberd. It was a graceful movement which to most would look like her dismissal of the boy as a threat, but to the skilled eye they would realize she had placed herself directly between them and Halberd's group like a human shield.

"Well they must have been very rude to offend the Bloody Bats." she mused out loud adopting a thoughtful look, "I guess that means I'll be taking them off your hands, seeing how you weaklings can't deal with them."

A choking sound of surprise from behind her widened her smile and she delighted at making a show of letting her hand rest on the sword strapped to her hip. The Black bats began to mutter nervously and Halberds face began to quickly darken with rage.

"W-well Kin-san I assure you that."

"I heard you Halberd, and I would like you to leave now, looking at your face is making me feel nauseous."

That seemed to be the last straw.

"You bitch!" He hissed, lunging forward.

She raised an eyebrow at that and with a smooth motion brought the sword out of its sheath and moving even before the other man could fully draw out his own. Her movements were light, contradictory to the large sword in her hands. Weaving and ducking her blade trailed after her in a deadly line of silver, never once making contact with the man's sword.

Her opponent was getting visibly angrier and angrier, swings erratic and more vicious as the red on his face darkened to a bruised purple. Halberd made a wild swing which she dodged letting the man stumble as he overbalanced. With a sudden jerk she brought the hilt of her weapon into the back of Halberd's head with a dull thunk.

The man collapsed to the ground and the rest of the thugs looked at her with something akin to fear. Not once in the fight with the visibly taller and larger man had he made any contact with her, not even fast enough to get her to parry with her sword.

"Well now that was unpleasant," Elia sighed staring sadly at her fallen opponent, "I hope you boys can give me a bit more of a challenge."

The sight of her wide grin had what was left of the Black Bats running probably to inform their leader of what had happened. The thought of that unpleasant person dampened her grin.

"Umm…"

The confused noise brough her attention to the people she had just saved. The sniper yelped when he noticed her attention back on them and brought the slingshot up once more.

"B-Back away, I'm warning you!"

Yoshi barked from where he sat in front of the sniper causing the boy to startle so bad he released his shot only for it to be deflected off her weapon with a flick of her wrist. He paled at the movement while the reindeer creature's eyes widened in shock and he removed himself from his hiding place.

"Oh excuse me, um Kin-san are you really here to help us?"

"Wow reindeer-san, how did you know that?"

"Chopper, what are you talking about," The sniper hissed, "Did you not see her take down that big guy with a single blow."

"Well to be fair this is a rather heavy sword." She shrugged and held Kusanagi out for inspection.

The other boy seemed to fluster at that, eyes darting rapidly between her and her face.

"But, Yoshi said they're here to help."

"Well, Yoshi is right." She bent down to pet the lion dog by her feet, "I know you have no real reason to trust me, but if you want to save your captain you should follow me."

"Wh-What did you do to Luffy?! If you did, my 10,000 subordinates will-"

"Usopp, I think we should trust her." The blue haired girl finally spoke up.

Elia knew that the other girl had been analyzing her. Staring at her movements and listening to her words with the air of someone used to dealing with liars. She figured that the girl had some important lineage in her, just from the way she held herself calm and poised through what should have been a very strange and distressing series of events.

It came at somewhat of a surprise that she was the one urging the group to trust her.

"Vivi, we don't know anything about her?!"

"She helped us, and we don't really have many choices if we want to help Luffy-san."

The boy's shoulders visibly slumped in resignation before turning away from the blue haired girl.

"Okay, we'll follow you, but if you think of betraying us-"

"Your 10,000 subordinates will beat me up. I know." She grinned, turning to lead the group towards the docks.


End file.
